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April 23, 2008: Think carefully about local history

To The Editor:
I read with alarm in the Catskill Mountain News about the plans of the Delaware County Department of Transportation for the replacement of the bridge adjacent to Susan‚Äôs Pleasant Pheasant Farm Bed & Breakfast in Halcottsville.
Susan‚Äôs Pleasant Pheasant Farm is a historical and cultural gem; and I will again be visiting this coming weekend. Besides the incomparable hospitality of Jim and Susan Kelly, it is the historical uniqueness of the mill house that attracts my family and me there. I look forward to my stay, overlooking the falls. To be there ‚Äî the setting and the building are a reprieve from the disassociations that seem to come along with the advancements of today‚Äôs society.
If in the name of progress, which too often we see resulting in a plasterboard culture, we lose not only existing culture and perspective, but also the sense of community that has been built upon it, we have lost significantly more than we have gained.
Susan‚Äôs Pleasant Pheasant Farm is an important entity of Delaware County, and a significant tourist attraction, which if destroyed will have ripples of negative economic and social impact.
We need to think creatively and outside of the box to address the concerns and values of all stakeholders here.